Day 3 of our Pilgrimage

We awoke this morning to a damp drizzly day in Lourdes, which was in stark contrast to the sunshine and very hot weather that we have experienced in the past few days. The rain did not dampen the spirits of our pilgrims however and onwards we went to the Domain to pose for our pilgrimage photograph.

It it a quite wonderful site to see our whole pilgrimage family gathered together on the steps of the Rosary Basilica in the Domain. Not one of us envy the photographer whose job it is to organise just shy of 700 people into a some kind of order. As always though, Photo Lacaze did a grand job and we will post the resulting photograph as soon as we have it.

Mgr. Canon Anthony Kay VG during the Sacrament of the Sick

Following the photograph we moved to the Chapel of Saint Bernadette for our Sunday Mass with the Sacrament of the Sick. This is a very emotional service in our programme. Whilst the clergy Anoint our sick pilgrims, our volunteers stand together around the circumference of the chapel and hold hands to form a circle of love around our pilgrims which is symbolic not only of our pilgrimage family but also of the love, care and support that our volunteers provide for our pilgrims throughout the week. It is a beautiful but simple gesture which brings tears to many eyes. The fact that this Sacrament is administered here in Lourdes just metres from the very spot that Our Lady revealed the healing waters of the spring to Bernadette in the Grotto, only adds to the significance of this special Sacrament.

 Our volunteers encircle our pilgrims during the Annointing

Our young pilgrims made their way up to Cité St. Pierre for their own liturgy following Mass. The 'City of the Poor' is located in the hills overlooking Lourdes and Mass is held in fine weather in the 'Cathedral of the Trees' which is just as enchanting as it sounds. A beautiful spot and a good opportunity for our young pilgrims to take some time for reflection and take part in a fantastic service put together by our Pastoral Team.

Meanwhile, back at the Hotel Solitude, Accueil pilgrims were treated to an afternoon of entertainment. Many people took the stage and a great time was had by all.

At 5pm we took part in the daily Blessed Sacrament Procession which due to the inclement weather was located in the vast Underground Basilica of St. Pius X. We were honoured and very proud to provide four pilgrims to act as acolytes to accompany the Blessed Sacrament in the procession. Fr. Kieran Mullarkey was given the honour of being assistant to the French Bishop who presided over the procession.  You can see the procession on the Lourdes TV channel on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/LourdesWebTV

As we write this post our pilgrims are taking part in Holy Hour which is again held in the Underground Basilica. This is a chance to sit quietly with the Lord and to reflect and provides the perfect end to a busy day.

In the morning we look forward to the highlight of our programme, our Grotto Mass. This year we will share this service with our friends from the  pilgrimage of Hexham & Newcastle. If you would like to join us in the Mass you can do so by watching it live on YouTube via the Lourdes channel which can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/user/LourdesWebTVh
Mass begins at 9.45 local time,  8.45 GMT. We look forward to having you with us.

And so a busy day here in Lourdes comes to an end. We look forward to spending some precious time with Our Lady in the Grotto tomorrow. Traditionally it usually rains during this Mass so we hope that is one tradition can break tomorrow!

Final Blessing from Bishop Emeritus, Terence Brain

Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us.
Saint Bernadette, pray for us.

Stay with us, Lord, on our journey.

Day 2 of our Pilgrimage

Welcome to our blog for day 2 of this year’s pilgrimage. Our theme this year is ’Merciful, like the Father’ and following our welcome meeting this morning for our hotel pilgrims, a short liturgy took place in each hotel before we processed as a whole pilgrimage through the Door of Mercy in the Domain here in Lourdes. This was a key event in our programme for this year and is also one of the four required activities that pilgrims are required to undertake in order to fulfil their ‘Jubilee Passport’ which each pilgrim will have verified by the sanctuaries to receive their indulgence for the Year of Mercy. 

The blessing of hands during our Opening Mass

Following our procession through the Holy Door pilgrims made their way to the Opening Mass with the blessing of hands in the Chapel of St.Bernadette cote Grotte. We are honoured this year to welcome the Right Reverend Terence Brain, Bishop Emeritus of Salford back to Lourdes with us on our pilgrimage. Bishop Brain will be celebrating our Masses in the absence of Bishop Arnold at World Youth Day and provided us with a beautiful homily which was topical, humorous and rooted in scripture. As always our wonderful music ministry provided us with beautiful music and singing to accompany our service which moved many of our pilgrims in it’s beauty.

After a relaxed afternoon and evening we once again gathered as a pilgrimage family to take part in one of the highlights of our week, the Marian Torchlight Procession. This is always a beautiful event and it is fantastic to see the look of wonder that appears on the faces of pilgrims who are experiencing the procession for the first time as they look upon the thousands candles processing down the esplanade to honour Our Lady. The procession was made extra special for us this evening as we welcomed our friends from HCPT Manchester region who are midway through their own pilgrimage at Hosanna House on the outskirts of Lourdes.

 A nice moment with Bishop Brain and Rev. Mark Paver

And so as we unwind at the end of a blessed day here in Lourdes, we give thanks to God and to Our Lady for bringing us here to this special place so that we may experience the wonder, beauty, mystery and joy of Lourdes.

We will leave you with a lovely comment by a member of the congregation at our opening Mass this afternoon who said “I challenge anyone to name a more welcoming community than Salford Lourdes! It’s a great privilege to celebrate Mass together!” We won’t disagree with that and are very thankful for this lovely feedback!

Two of our volunteers acting as torchbearers during the Torchlight Procession

Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us.

Saint Bernadette, pray for us.

Stay with us, Lord, on our journey.

Day 1 of the 84th Salford Diocesan Pilgrimage to Lourdes

The day we have been waiting for has arrived and our 84th Salford Diocesan Pilgrimage to Lourdes is now underway. 

The day begun with Mass for our advance party of volunteers at the Poor Clare's Convent, celebrated by Fr. Kieren Mullarkey who asked us in his homily to ensure that we find time this week to spend with God. That may sound like a strange request at first, considering we are here on pilgrimage, however as Fr. Kieren said, it is very easy to spend the whole week rushing around Lourdes from service to service or spending time with friends, without actually stopping for a moment just to sit quietly with a clear mind to allow God to speak to us.

A team of volunteers eager to begin their first shift.

Shortly after lunch we were delighted to welcome pilgrims who arrived on the first two flights from Manchester this morning. After an early start and a good flight they were happy to have arrived in Lourdes and to have swapped a rainy Manchester for a baking hot Lourdes!

The final flight of the day landed at around 4.45pm (local time) and as well as our hotel pilgrims, also on board were our Acceuil pilgrims who, as Bishop John reminds us, ‘are at the heart of our pilgrimage family’.

Our volunteers deserve huge credit today for their hard work. Pilgrims were welcomed with a smile, a friendly face and an efficient service which ensured a smooth transfer from the airport to their hotels in Lourdes. It is quite amazing to see the Salford family swing into action and today they did our Hospitalité and the blue shirts of Salford proud. 

This evening our welcome Mass for hotel pilgrims was celebrated by Mgr. Canon Anthony Kay VG, in a packed Chapel Kolbe in the Domain. After a pleasant afternoon and some time to unpack and unwind, this was a nice way for our pilgrims to ease into our pilgrimage week and to give thanks to God and Our Lady for a safe journey to Lourdes.

Tomorrow we look forward to our passage through the Door of Mercy and and following that, the Opening Mass of our pilgrimage in this extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy.

Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us.

Saint Bernadette, pray for us.

Stay with us, Lord, on our journey.

Advance Party Arrival in Lourdes

Early this morning an advance party of 95 volunteers travelled to Lourdes to begin the final preparations in time for the start of our pilgrimage tomorrow. Although the flight was slightly delayed in it's departure from Manchester and despite and early start, our group was in good spirits and were very happy to travel with our airline for today, CityJet, who kindly supplied us a plane that was only one week old!

Our advance party at Manchester airport

We were greeted in Lourdes with lovely sunny weather which added to the atmosphere of joy and expectation as we await the beginning of our 84th Diocesan Pilgrimage to Lourdes. Our volunteers spent the afternoon settling into the hotel, visiting the Grotto and attending a welcome meeting at the Hotel Solitude before gathering together for their evening meal and some downtime before tomorrow.

We were happy to see that our own 'Max & Paddy' had arrived safely in the pilgrimage van which carries essential equipment and supplies. Later in the afternoon a large group gathered at Miam Miams to cheer our cyclists on as they completed their 850 mile cycle from Salford Cathedral to Lourdes. An amazing effort by the whole team and their support crew, in some difficult conditions.

Our amazing cyclists & support team

And so we look forward to welcoming you to Lourdes tomorrow. We pray for a safe and comfortable journey for you all as you travel to this special place and we look forward to gathering here together in Lourdes as a pilgrimage family in the presence of Our Lady.

Whilst travelling here tomorrow we invite you to perhaps take a moment think about your answer to Bishop John's call to bring something with you to Lourdes that you would like to be resolved and to leave that petition with Our Lady in the Grotto in the certainty that she will intercede and pray for you.

Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us.
Saint Bernadette, pray for us.

Stay with us, Lord, on our journey.

Pre-Departure

The week of our 84th Salford Diocesan Pilgrimage to Lourdes is finally upon us! Final preparations are being made and we are all waiting in anticipation to return to our 'spiritual home' in Lourdes at the end of this week.

This year's pilgrimage is that extra bit special as it is being made during the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy called by Pope Francis. The Holy Father asks us to make pilgrimage in this Holy Year because "it represents the journey each of us makes in this life." We look forward to answering that call and making the journey to Lourdes as a pilgrimage family.

This Sunday, (24th), many of us gathered in a packed Salford Cathedral for our Pre-Departure Mass. Pilgrims enjoyed a beautiful service celebrated by the Bishop of Salford, John Arnold, with Emeritus Bishop of Salford, Terence Brain who will lead our services in Lourdes for the first few days in Bishop John's absence at World Youth Day in Krakow. It was also lovely to see Rev. Mark Paver who was ordained Deacon only 2 weeks ago. 

During his homily Bishop John mentioned the "wonderful allegiance" that Lourdes has in our diocese and asked that before we go we should ask "what we are doing, why we are doing it and what we want to achieve or receive from our time in Lourdes."

On Thursday morning our advance party of volunteers will fly out to Lourdes to make the final preparations before we welcome our pilgrimage family on Friday. Several of our pilgrims are already en route however, using various forms of transport. Our cyclists from the Children & Families Group are well over the half way mark on their 850 mile route and following Mass last night our own 'Max & Paddy' left the cathedral in the pilgrimage van carrying essential equipment and supplies for the pilgrimage - hopefully not on the road to nowhere!

Please remember our cyclists, drivers and whole pilgrimage family in your prayers this week as we pray for a safe arrival into Lourdes and for a happy, Holy & peaceful pilgrimage.

'Stay with us Lord, on our journey.'

Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us.
Saint Bernadette, pray for us.